Steering device for automobiles.



W. MISHLER. STEERING DEVICE Fon AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATIGN FILED SEPT. l, 1915. LWLQM. Patented May 2,1916.

WILLIAM MISI-ILER, `OF GRAND RAEIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF FORTI-ONE ONE- I-INDREDTHS T0 :BELLEV M. SOULE, CF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

STEERING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

instaat.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Misnnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering Devices for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.v

My invention relates to improvements m appliances for swinging the forward wheels of an automobile back into normal position after they have been thrown around from position for the direct forward travel of the automobile, and its objects are: first, to provide a means whereby the appliance for attaining the proper automatic adjustment of the wheels may be placed entirely back of `the forward aXletree; second, to provide a means whereby the return movement of the actuating arms may be met with a cushioned eect to avoid a sudden ar and disagreeable pounding as the arm reaches its normal position parallel with its supporting post;

third, to provide a means whereby the relative normal position of the actuating arms with the aXletree may be regulated as desired; fourth, to provide a means whereby the free ends of the actuating arms may be adjusted up and down to correspond with the normal position of the connecting bar between the wheel actuating arms, and fifth, to reduce the friction between the actuating arms and the connecting rod to the minimum. I attain these objects by the' mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of an automobile axletree and wheels with my appliance attached; Fig. 2 is a plan of the appliance detached from the aXletree, and showing a means whereby two main actuating springs may be applied to operate the actuating arms; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the base that supports the actuating arms and their several connections; Fig. 4: is an edge View of one of the actuating arms showing the manner of forming the arms shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a plan of one end of the supporting base, the actuating arm and the aXletree showing the manner of regulating the up vand down position of the ends of the arms.

Similar reference characters referV to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawing 1 represents the axletree of an automobile; 2 2

represent the forward wheels; 3, 3 represent the pivotal point between the adjustable ends of the aXletree and the main body thereof; t, 4: represent the guiding arms by means of which the forward wheels are turned and held in desired positions to properly guide the course of the automobile; 5 is a connecting rod connecting the actuating bar 6 with the necessary element in the automobile for ypiloting the machine.

My invention consists of a supporting base 9 that may be securely attached to the a-Xletree 1 by any of the well known means in mechanics for connecting plates and bars face to face, as indicated by the gripping bands 14, 14 in Fig. 1, or the bolt 2l-25 in Fig. 5, though I prefer the use of the bands 141-, 111- as it is not necessary to carry vany tools for connecting it with the axleover and beyond the connecting bar 6 and be drawn to a proper bearing against the antifriction rollers 7 7 so that any longitudinal movement of the connecting bar 6 will cause the arm on the end toward which the bar is moving to be carried with the bar as the wheels are being turned by the arms 4, 4, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The arms 8, 8 are held in normal position, or parallel with each other by means of posts 11 which are made integral with the plates l0, 10, and I provide for adjusting them to the desired relative positions by means of adjusting bolts 12, 12, and to prevent sudden jars and a pounding noise when the arms 8, 8 are made to suddenly assume their normal positions against the ends of said bolts, I place a cushion spring, as 15, 15 upon each bolt between the posts 11, 11 and the edges of said arms, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5. That these springs may be made fully effective without danger of springing off of the bolts, Vor getting between the ends of the bolts and the edges of the arms I find it advisable to drill shallow holes, as 18 into the edges of the arms for the ends of the bolts to enter, and of sufficient depth to avert the danger of drawing the arm orf from over the ends of said bolts.

The spring, or springs 13 must be made of suflicient tensile strength to draw the arms from their extended positions, as indicated by the dotted lines to the right of Fig. 1, to normal position against the action of the moving automobile upon the wheels, so that after a turn has been madev the wheels of the machine will be, thereby, automatically brought back in direct position, thus avertingthe necessity of the chaueur bringing them in position with the pilot wheel, which would be necessary without this appliance or its equivalent. The holes 18, in the edges of theV arms 8 should be made slightly oblong, or larger than the ends of the bolts to provide for the swinging motion of thearms as they are being forced over from one position to another as indicated.

While the form of arm and spring shown in Fig. 1 is available and suiiicient Von light running automobiles, I find it much more satisfactory with heavy machines to have at r least two springs, as indicated in Fig. 2, and y for this purpose I find it advisable to twist V13 thereto, as indicated in Fig. 2.

the arms to form two right angles, as indicated in Figs. 2 and t, and to place a double winged hooked bolt, as 16 through the hole 23 in the plane 22, and secure the springs 13, It will be readily understood thatwith the use of these bolts, by making them of suiicient length, the tension of the springs may be regulated to any desired degree. VI provide Y for adjusting the outer, or free ends of the arms 8, 8 up and down to meet the position or' the cross connecting bar 6 by means of set screws, as 20, passed through holes 19 in the supporting base 9 to bear against the surface of the web of the aXletree 1, as indicated by the dotted lines to the left of Fig. 5. I prefer to have the springs 13, 13 between the connecting bar 6 and the aXletree 1 for the reason that thereby I am enabled to make the arms 8, 8 much shorter than it would be possible if the springs were placed back of the bar 6, and for the further reason that the springs are much more protected between the two than it would be in the exposed position back of the bar.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In combination with the axletree and the connecting bar of an automobile, a base sccurely attached to the back surface of the aXletree, arms pivotally connected with the base and extending backwardly therefrom, antifriction rollers on the connecting bar in contact with the inner edges of the arms, springs connected with the arms to draw them firmly toward each other and against the rollers, bolts connected with the arms to adjust the tension of the spring, supporting posts connected with the base, adjusting bolts in said posts, the arms having holes in their edges to receive the ends of the bolts,

yand springs between the supporting posts and the edges of the arms to cushion their approach to the posts.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 28, 1915.

WILLIAM MISHLER.

opxes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti.

Y Washington, ZD. C. 

